Sorry everyone, the next couple of chapters are going to be pure (for lack of a better word and no offence, Mr McCoy) fluff. There will be a plot at some point coughmabyecoughcough.

Chapter six

He sat in the table in the alcove, sipping wine and trying not to look at his watch. It was a top class restaurant, discrete and elite as it said on the tacky business card. He wondered briefly if she knew where it was,

"Sir, there is a Lady in the vestibule…she says she has an, uh, appointment with you" The waiter said, his voice respectfully low,

"Send the lady in please" He replied, trying to keep the nervous tremor from his voice, watching the waiter move through the crowd like oil through water. Why doesn't it get easier as one gets older? Dating. As if he had made the first move, as if they'd never been out together before, as if – his brain functions shut down for the first time in years as she stepped into the soft lighting of the room. She smiled shyly as one of the waiters took the red velvet and black fake fur coat from her, revealing the soft silk pink shift that she wore beneath. It stretched a little over her round breasts, clinging to her waist and flaring out over her hips. She looked more nervous than when he had interviewed her, looking around the room as she fiddled with the sting of pearls at her neck as she was led across the dining area. With her hair pinned back to expose the delicate column of her neck, she glided through the crowd with that strange awkward grace. Hank rose to his feet as she approached, smiling and taking her hand, "I'm so glad you came" He smiled as they sat down. She rubbed nervous fingers up and down her arm,

"You're lucky I did" She gave him a lop sided smile, "I almost chickened out" He somehow knew what the problem was,

"You look…" beautiful, stunning, sexy, ripe, amazing, exquisite, delicious, "er, wonderful" He said. What was it about this woman that reduced his vocabulary to almost single syllables? Swallowing hard, he placed his hand over hers, stilling the demolition of an innocent napkin. She smiled properly and twined her little fingers with his huge hairy ones,

"Thanks…you've washed up nice too" He laughed as she blushed, "oh god…maybe I should have warned you I say stupid things when I'm nervous" She hid her face in her palms, he missed the warmth ofher handalmost instantly,

"It's alright…I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before" He grinned as she looked at him from between her fingers, filling up her wine glass for the evening ahead,

"Really? My mom say's it all the time" She smiled, letting her hands drop, "usually to my dad or one of my goofy brothers but – oh!" She reached out to tap his arm, as if she didn't have his full attention, "it's your Mothers birthday the day after tomorrow, sir, I completely forgot to tell you earlier on"

"Alright" He frowned a moment, "what do you think I should get her?" He asked after a while, she raised an eyebrow,

"You're a genius, Mr McCoy-"

"Hank, Henry if you can't stand nicknames" He interrupted absent mindedly, watching her smile warm up,

"You're a genius, Hank, how come you don't know what to get for your mothers birthday?" She smiled, teasing just a little,

"She's complicated to buy for" He said ruefully, knowing he sounded about six years old,

"She'll love anything you send her" Isabelle's smile turned into a bit of a grin, "she always does…you know she still calls you her little boy when we speak on the phone?"

"You've spoken to my mother?" He asked in complete surprise,

"Oh yes, she's rung once or twice whilst you were in with the president…I thought it best not to disturb you but you've always returned the call, sir, once you've had the memo…there's not a lot of people in government who can say that" She said, a note of admiration in her tone. He smiled a little, turning his face away, "are you…are you blushing?" She laughed a little, a gentle teasing laugh,

"It's not considered good manners to make people blush, Isabelle" He replied, just as playfully, hating that the blush had shown through his usually concealing fur,

"You do it all the time" She quipped back, the hint of a wicked smile playing around her lips as she sipped at her wine,

"Do as I say not as I do" He was, to his surprise, quite enjoying himself. It felt like years since he had this kind of conversation,

"You're not as boring as I'd expect a genius to be" She was saying, that wicked little smile definitely widening into a grin now,

"I'm so very glad you think so" His smile faded away, "Isabelle…are you alright?" He asked softly, not even bothering to hide the concern in his voice,

"I'm fine why?" She gave him a puzzled smile, her hands flying to her face. He smiled and caught both of them in his, tiny, tiny, soft, tiny, human, lovely, delicate creature,

"After John Davidson's conduct…" He trailed off, wondering how to word it. Her entire face seemed to shut down, become uncommonly hard and almost frightening,

"Yes. I'm fine" She repeated, "he got exactly what he deserved" Hank couldn't help smiling a little,

"It was a very impressive slap, Miss Caley" She smiled at him slightly, returning her hands to the abused napkin,

"Thanks" She blushed, "see!" She pointed to herself, "you do make people blush…evil genius they should call you" She murmured round her wine glass, the bloom very slowly fading from her cheeks. Hank laughed, draining his own glass,

"I'm afraid I'll just have to live with Beast for now" He wrinkled his nose. She squeezed his arm before sitting back a little, Hank tried to ignore the fact that the simple touch of her hand had been enough to set his nerve endings dancing and singing silly songs in his head,

"It doesn't suit you at all, you know" She murmured, looking oddly melancholy, "I read your file…I wondered if calling you Hyde would be better than Beast" She attempted a smile, pleased when he smiled back, picking up on the reference to the mad doctor who drank his own concoction in an experiment,

"But unlike Hyde, I can control my more…base emotions" He replied, his grin hardly abovewicked as he gazed at her with burning eyes. She looked a little flustered, fiddling with the shredded napkin,

"I'm surprised to hear that you have base emotions, Hank" She murmured softly, a naughty smile of her own tugging at the corner of her lips as she chartered unknown territories. He laughed softly, a low wicked sound that shot straight down her spine, his fingers gently ghosting over hers on the way to the wine bottle,

"We all have our darker side, Miss Caley"

"Some hide it better than others" She replied almost instantly. Hank tilted his head, detecting an odd little note in her voice but she looked up at him and smiled, "The tone's become a little heavy, don't you think, Mr McCoy? Dark sides, Mr Hyde…" She watched him top up her glass, "are you trying to get me drunk?" He smiled and laughed, shaking his head in disbelief,

"Are you always this suspicious?" He watched as she raised the glass to her lips,

"Yes" She took a sip, smiling a little before placing the glass back down, "I would much prefer it if you were to tell me that you were going to seduce me" She looked up at him through thick lashes, lips pursed in an attempt to hide that smile, "rather than going about it in a sneaky way"

"Miss Caley…" He growled, sitting back easily, one arm slung over the back of his chair, legs folded easily as he looked at her. She had never seen him look quite so relaxed...or blank faced. For a moment Isabelle thought she had stepped over the mark…and then he smiled, very slowly, long canines glinting in the soft light, "I intend to seduce you" He watched as she flushed, the glass trembling with her shaking hands as she put it down,

"Hank, I-" She was interrupted as a waiter came over, looking flustered and ruffled,

"Madam, sir, forgive me but I must take the unfortunate responsibility in asking you to leave"

"What?" To Hanks surprise it was Isabelle who snapped, rage taking over her delicately rounded features,

"I am sorry madam but your gentleman friend, he is scaring away some of our best customers" The waiter tugged at his collar,

"We are customers too" She snapped, rising to her feet,

"Isabelle" Hank reached over, rising to his feet but she stepped away a little, people stared at her with a range of emotions of their faces,

"Philistines" She hissed, eyes narrowed, "Fools the lot of you. You can't even see beyond the ends of your own noses!" Hank moved closer, shocked as her voice started to rise,

"Isabelle-" He reached out to take her hand and she clasped it, her free hand fisted into a ball,

"This man! This wonderful, marvellous man! You don't know how many lives he has saved and you never bloody will because you're all too…too narrow minded to ask! So what if he's different? He's a hero and you want to throw him onto the street!" She snapped, glaring round at the shame face clientele of the restaurant. Someone started to applaud before falling silent. The waiter looked quite pale. Hank took the opportunity to all but drag her from the place,

"Isabelle, Isabelle" He chanted, putting his arm around her as he guided her from the restaurant and around the corner. He was shocked and touched at the same time, half unable to believe that she – quiet, funny, polite Isabelle – had just yelled at a restaurant full of people, "Isabelle" He crooned, his lips pressed against her hair,

"It's not fair, they're as bad as that Chatterley woman" She whispered against his coat, "I'm sorry"

"Don't be" He smiled as she looked up at him before brushing his lips against her, his smile widening as he felt her try to follow when he pulled away, "don't be" She nodded, slipping her hand into his as he brushed away the wayward piece of hair that hung loose from the chignon,

"Come on" She tugged his hand, leading him down the street,

"Where are we going?" She blushed, biting her lip,

"M-my place?" She stammered timidly,

"I don't think you're quite as shy as you pretend to be, Miss Caley" He grinned down at her,

"No" Her face changed as her eyes half shuttered, becoming almost lustful as she gazed up at him, "I don't suppose I am" She grinned, leading him to the tall block of apartments not too far away...